Representing the girls, LDShadowLady is one of the leading Minecraft gamers in the UK. Ahead of Legends of Gaming Live, she chatted to us about her online world, how she keeps her content fresh and how she continues to grow her fan base.
BIO: NAME: LIZZIE AGE: 23 YOUTUBE STATS: CHANNELS: LDShadowLady / More LDShadowLady SUBSCRIBERS: 1.9 million (May 2016) VIEWS: 560 million (May 2016) JOINED: 9 January 2010 (six years) CONTENT: Minecraft gamer SCHEDULE: Four videos per week TOTAL VIDEOS: 800+ FUN FACTS: • Has a degree in Computer Animation and Visualisation • Started the Pixel Pact, a team of talented female YouTube stars playing Minecraft together, aiming to inspire young women into gaming
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At 23, and after only five years of creating YouTube videos, you’ve managed to gain a very impressive following. What do you do to ensure interest in your channel and your fan base continues to grow? I’m always keeping up with what is relevant and popular in the YouTube gaming community. It’s important to adapt your content in order to retain your audience and jump on some popular trends to attract new viewers. With over 790 videos already, and continuing to upload an average of four per week, how do you keep your content fresh and exciting? I only make videos when I’m feeling inspired and motivated. I find that this helps me produce videos that I’m proud to share and my subscribers seem to enjoy them more because of that. On your website you say your success is largely down to people giving you a chance. Back in 2011 when you started, how did you fit in setting up your YouTube channel alongside studying or a job? When I first started YouTube it was nothing more than a hobby and I never imagined it would make me any money, never mind turning it into a job! YouTube was my creative outlet and I was happy devoting all my spare time to making videos. Is your channel now your only job? If so, how long did it take for it to grow successful enough to be a full-time job for you? My channel has been growing pretty steadily over the past five years. I kept working on improving my channel during university and it helped me fund my studies. When I graduated I decided to take on YouTube full-time and make the most of it while I can. This is your first time coming to Legends of Gaming, what are you most excited about? I’ve never taken part in any kind of competitive gaming before. I’m not exactly the most skilled gamer, but I’m excited about having some fun with the challenges even if I fail!